Hearing Aid
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Side story to the Shadow In Love series; please read Flirting Shadows and its successors first. Focal point is Rift; Sonic's second son in the FS time line.


It was a frightening feeling for Rift; to have his world plunged into silence. The thrumming and vibrations of sound were still there and tore through his body, but nothing could be heard. It was as though someone had just hit the mute button on his life, and it terrified him worse than any scars or scrapes his body could possibly receive.

Metal Vector had brought an end to his hearing, but it felt like more than that had been ripped away from him. He simply lacked the strong will to fight that his father and brother had. For a spar or two, he was fine, but he lacked the experience and drive of a true warrior, and knew his chances against his metal adversary were slim at best.

When Ash and Blitz came for him, he didn't hear. He slapped his brother across the face, expecting a crocodile to be there. The pit of his stomach churned with his fears and he gripped his brother tightly, no words surfacing to his lips. _'Get me out of here….'_

* * *

Blitz had taken his younger brother to Gate City Emergency, where he was examined by a Mobian doctor, a badger. In Rift's silent world, he felt as though he were watching someone else in his body. While he did what he thought was expected, the cues were all visual, and the words lost. He knew there was comfort and disquiet in the exchanges between his brother and the doctor, but there was no way he could know all that was said.

He closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. The sound of the blast, which was the last thing he heard, echoed in his throbbing ears. _'No..._'

When he awoke, a yellow mongoose with lavender and black hair was sitting next to him. "Oh Rift...!" He watched her lips move, though the sound never reached him. She threw her arms around him, saying things like how it would be all right, how they'd get through this. He put his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body and smelling the sweet perfume of her hair. He wished with all his heart he could hear her too...

She was not the only visitor, and while she spoke to him as though he could hear her perfectly, Chris and Helen Thorndyke entered, ducking beneath the shorter Mobian doorway. He might have said a greeting. Hannah the Mongoose turned to the human and began talking with him, smiles quickly turning to frowns and she looked back at Rift worriedly.

After she left, Chris approached. "Hi…." he said, pulling a piece of paper from one of his pockets. He handed it to Rift, who looked it over.

_To Rift the Hedgehog,_

_I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I thought you should know that the others _

_are okay. Your mom Amy just had a few scratches, and Blitz is about the _

_same. Shadow and Ash took care of Metal Shadow and Eggman's craft._

_There's a lot to talk about really, but that can wait._

_The doctor told me your hearing was damaged, eardrums shattered actually._

_I know it must be hard for you, but he says there's some things to be done._

_He says it might not give you back all your hearing, but it's something, right?_

_I can help pay for the surgery if you like, I'd pay it all even, don't worry about_

_paying me back, okay? I gave your dad a similar offer._

_-Chris Thorndyke._

The purple hedgehog's emerald eyes seemed conflicted as he read the words. It explained and confirmed the very things he worried about. His heart sank and there was a dullness to the glass green that usually sparkled in his eyes. He reached a hand out for a pencil. It wasn't like he couldn't talk, but when he opened his mouth, his voice clung to his throat and refused to be spent. Would it be loud or soft? He feared it being a whisper as much as a shout, and he didn't know how his emotions would carry through the emptiness.

The human handed him a pad and pen, and he wrote a short phrase on it. "_What about my dad?_" Chris frowned a bit and looked over at Helen, whose face was sympathetic. He scrawled on the paper with a shaking hand and gave it back to the young hedgehog.

_Sonic can't walk._

Well, if his own hearing loss hadn't sunk into his brain yet, the thought of his father paralyzed made his stomach tie into pretzel shaped knots. "I...I see..." he finally vocalized, the volume shifting from a half whisper to a strong mid tone. "It's not permanent is it?" His voice wavered, but he didn't wish to write it out. There was something final about that. Mercifully, Chris shook his head; he indicated the offer again.

Rift looked over at the door where Hannah had left a moment ago. He longed to hear her voice, wished he could hear the assurances. _'I guess it's all in my head for a little while,'_ he thought as he penned the words "Thank you" and handed them back to his father's human friend.

* * *

Rift had accepted the surgery, as Sonic had likewise accepted such for his problems, which were physically far more debilitating. The young hedgehog felt a bit guilty for his depression over his situation. His dad really had the worse end of the deal; running was everything to him, and without it, the name "Sonic" seemed like a joke. Somehow Rift couldn't get past his own loss, and it had the effect of straining his every relationship, by blood or otherwise.

Hannah's career began to beckon, as well as her mother Mina. It wasn't that she didn't care for him, but as he sulked and moped, and refused to speak even as his ears began to heal from the surgery, she spent less and less time with him. Eventually, rumors started circulating about her getting involved with another singer, and photos of the two seemed to confirm it. The media barrage also included Rift's already being washed up and the "Mobian who upstaged him" flashing like Christmas lights everywhere he turned.

Rift couldn't be too upset about it; he'd kind of seen it coming, but it did little to alter his sour mood. Eventually Blitz caught him on the rooftop of their house and grinned as he gazed off at the clouds. "Hey." He got no response and nudged Rift's shoulder. "I said _hey_, ya deaf or something?" He smiled against the glare he received.

"Might as well…." the younger purple hedgehog muttered.

"Well, you're not. I know ya can hear me, at least some." He paused. "How is it?"

Rift shrugged a bit. "It's all muted...like I've got pillows stuffed in my ears. I can kinda work with it now but…." He sighed. "How do I sound to you?"

"Pathetic. Totally depressed." Blitz continued to smile widely.

Rift snorted. "I mean, I'm not too loud, right?"

"Nope. Far from. You speak very softly. But that's okay." He pulled his knees up to his chest and watched the sun play games with the clouds, turning them all shades of gold and orange.

"So what did you want?" Rift asked after a while. He hated the way he sounded to himself, how uncertain everything sounded. He almost would have rather been fully deaf than live in this half-state of awareness. At least in his mind, he could remember what clear sounds were, though he hadn't appreciated them at the time.

"You assume I want something." He lay back against the shingles and smiled up at the clouds, just tinted silver in his new point of view. "Well I guess so. I was wondering if you'd join me on a Gear tour. It's starting here in Station Square, then moving to Mobius in the Acorn Kingdom, going to Downunda, then Australia, then skipping to England, Eagleand, and finishing up in Kiyo on Mobius' side, Osaka, Japan on the other."

Rift gave him an odd look. "What do you expect me to do? Watch you kick ass and cheer or something?"

"Kinda." Blitz shrugged. "I was thinking you could help with the Gear maintenance."

Rift snorted again. "You don't need me for that." He turned his gaze back to the sunset and soon found Blitz' knuckles digging into his forehead. "Ah! Stop it!"

Blitz laughed, "Okay, okay! I don't need you. But I want you there, okay? I think you need to get out of this place...you're getting emo like Shadow."

The hearing-impaired hedgehog grinned a little bit as his brother let go. No concerts were in his future, and he was tired of his mother telling him he should've thought about an alternate career anyway. What did he have to lose? "Yeah. Okay. I'll go."

* * *

The trip through Earth and Mobius revealed how parallel the two worlds were, as accents and scenery were similar on either side of the World Gates. While Blitz spent his time tearing up track records and buying new Gears (a necessity with his safety record), Rift got the chance to explore the places they settled at.

The gates outside of Station Square had only opened up about 15 years ago, so those cities boasted smaller Mobian populations than the established group in America. It was a little odd to Rift, seeing so few Mobians. Despite living in Station Square, most of his musical career was on Mobius.

The last stop on the trip was to Japan, land of the rising sun, kimonos, ninjas, samurai, pagodas, sushi, yakitori, yakisoba, wasabi, and enough ramen to sink a battleship. Blitz was excited about the last stop because the Floating Island would be passing over the chain of islands across the World Gate, which made him closer to his girlfriend Lara. Rift was kind of glad he couldn't fully hear his brother rant about his love life and wished he could block it out altogether.

The Gear event wasn't the only one going on, as a local Cherry Blossom Festival (Hanami) was going on as well. Rift had noticed a number of paper lanterns around squares and hung around town, as well as people walking around in traditional Japanese clothing. More than was typical, though his being an outsider, he somewhat expected it. His "Auntie Sara" would have known better, but he wasn't her.

Blitz had made mention of the "flower viewing," but as usual Rift hadn't, or wouldn't hear him out. "Oi. You're not going to let all the beauty of this country slip in one ear and out the other," Blitz scolded him as they walked down the center of a busy shopping strip. "Look, I've been here in Japan before...Konban wa! Hisao-san!" he greeted a passing elderly gentleman with a toothless grin on his face.

"Ahh...Chibi-chan, long time no see." The old man stopped and continued to smile or leer at them; at least Rift thought it was more like a leer. "You've brought a friend this time?"

"Yep. My brother Rift-kun." Blitz smiled. "Ogenki desu ka?"

"Genki, genki." The old man laughed. "Are you here to enjoy the hanami?"

"Gear tourney." Blitz smiled. "I think I got it aced, but we would like to enjoy the festivals. Know any good spots?"

"Ahh, I do indeed." Old man Hisao smiled amiably and began directing Blitz in Japanese. The conversation, Rift knew, would be completely and totally wasted on him even if he could hear.

"Thanks!" He smiled and took Rift by the wrist. "Sayonara!" Blitz smirked and bolted.

"Bai bai, Chibi-chan!" Hisao laughed after them.

* * *

The city seemed to take on an eerie glow as night fell. It was not scary as such, but the place seemed to have transformed from a monolith of technology and modern conveniences to a place with an air of history to it. Small paper lanterns, children in masks, performers on stilted shoes passing themselves off for Tengus (a kind of mythological creature part bird, part man), the flowing kimonos, and painted faces gave the place an ancient feel to it. Somehow, the two hedgehogs had been transported to feudal Japan, a place of antiquity.

For as busy as the city was during the day, with as many bikes and cars that clogged the roads, the many cell phones that rang constantly, tranquility was still strived for. It was etched in the elegantly drawn scrawling of their picturesque language, carved into the forms of bonsais and cultivated into the chimes and gentle breezes that ran through Blitz's quills right there.

"I can see how Auntie Sara would like this place," Blitz commented as the pair of brothers headed down a road near the end of town. It led into a park where paper lanterns were hung, and the cherry blossoms were gently illuminated by them. A myriad of stalls was set up, peddling various types of food or offering prizes for carnival games, while others still offered entertainment. "Now this is a festival."

Rift didn't find the easy comfort his brother did, and felt no reason to celebrate. Spring had yet to fully set in, so the air around them nipped at him. He only looked up when Blitz shoved a wad of bills and handful of coins into his palm, curling his fingers around them. "Huh?"

"I expect that all to be spent by the time we meet up again, ohh..." Blitz twitched an ear. "Sometime by three in the morning I think should be fine." He smiled.

"...I don't want..." Rift began, but Blitz slapped him on the shoulder and shoved him toward the crowds. The young hedgehog's ears pinned back and he felt very small as he failed to see a single Mobian in all his field of vision. He worked his way past the clattering and clamoring of the people there, all of it sounding like a muffled white noise in his ears. He had grown to hate crowds since his encounter with Metal Vector, as it merely served to remind him how much he lost. He remembered a time when he could pick out the small squeak of a single fan from the roaring crowds that used to greet him.

_'What am I doing here?'_ He moped around, just looking for other Mobians to start with. There were a couple of pandas, a transforming tanuki putting on a show to swooning girls, a couple of red pandas, but not much besides. Those that were there mostly spoke Japanese, so even what he could hear of the conversations melted in his ears like ice cubes turning to water. _'This was a big fat mistake.'_

Eventually he came to rest by a fountain, head propped on his hand and feeling miserable as usual. He'd leafed through the various pieces of paper Blitz had given him, varying amounts of yen. He smirked, thinking how rich he'd be if that was their value in US dollars, but knowing all he had was enough for some food and fun, well, if he even wanted the fun.

He raised his head in time to see something red, pink, and white pass his field of vision. He blinked his eyes a couple times and looked to his right. If his eyes weren't playing tricks, it was a Mobian wearing a red kimono with white flowers painted on it in an elaborate pattern and tied with a pink bow. She had a matching paper umbrella, and when she turned, he could see very clearly that she was a hedgehog.

She was wearing getas, a wooden sandal with two pegs or "teeth" to walk on, and she didn't seem very good at it. "Ah..." She gasped a bit as she tripped a little in turning. She was trying to spin her parasol and twirl elegantly, though it wasn't working very well. Rift actually smiled, watching her, until she fell into him. "Ahh! Ano...sumimasen! Gomen...! Atashi wa..."

Rift gently pushed her off of him, and helped her stand. "It's okay…there...you all right?"

"Nani?" She looked at him with quizzical cherry blossom pink eyes.

His own emerald eyes seemed to sparkled when her gaze reached him. "Hi?" He felt his cheeks flush as he looked at the beautiful white hedgehog. Her feathery quills ran to one side, and her pink eyes were wide and lonely, searching.

"Daijoubu ka?" she asked gently, softly enough that he couldn't hear her. "Ano..."

"Hi...?" Rift offered again, confusion in his expression. "...You have pretty eyes." He knew he'd barely whispered the words, but they felt like leaving him. For once, he felt his throat tight but eager to speak, to say something...if only she understood.

"Warui..." She bowed lightly to him, then backed up a few, awkward steps. He ran and caught her from falling to the ground, the two suddenly winded and blushing. "A...arigatou," she said softly, the parasol dropping from her hands.

"I wish I understood you..." Rift sighed softly. He helped her back to her feet and then retrieved the parasol for her. "Here, you dropped this."

She reached out a timid hand and took the parasol, then nodded to him again. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

Again there was silence and a long pause. The young purple hedgehog felt like saying something, felt like following. Somehow, even though he couldn't understand, and could barely hear her, her soft words tickled his ears. They stood tall and focused on her, hoping somehow to cut through the barrier between them. "I...I'm Rift." He pointed his thumb to his chest. "Hi."

"Uurifuto?" the girl mouthed.

"Rift." He put more behind his breath, hoping not to sound too loud to her. "I'm Rift, Rift the hedgehog."

"Lifto-san?" Her cheeks blushed the same pink as the cherry blossoms. "Hejihoggu ka?"

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Lifto-san," she said again, and thought about his words. "Uchi wa Harinezumi Yukiko desu." _'He looks so lost and lonely…._'

"Sorry...I don't speak Japanese…umm...nihongo." He frowned a bit. He didn't want to walk away from her; he'd probably never see her again, yet he wanted to somehow stay in this moment. _'You just met her, you don't even know her name...stupid hearing...damn it...'_ "Sorry..."

"Sa-ri..." The girl smiled a bit at him and gently stroked his cheek. He jerked back from her soft touch and her brows knit together sympathetically. He reacted like an injured animal, but what could have wounded him so? "Nihonjin jya nai," she said in her very soft way, and let her feather touch rise up to his ears.

He trembled at her touch but dare not move an inch, as though this were an illusion, and if he blinked his eyes it would be over. _'Not the ears…please don't...'_ he begged mentally. She set down the parasol and moved both her hands over him. They lightly cupped around his ears, the thumbs massaging the fine furry insides, and fingers scratching lightly at the base. The simple action felt like heaven, as though they could heal the damage, though he heard her no better when they withdrew and framed his face. "Ahh...I'm so sorry…I can't understand you...I can hardly hear you...but I like you... Could you tell me your name? Who you are?"

Eventually another voice cut through the night, "Yukiko-san! Ikkimasu!" A female yellow tanuki ran up to her friend but paused when she saw the other hedgehog and the tentative looks they exchanged. _'Oh….'_ "Yukiko-san...himitsu no--" The snow white hedgehog cut her off, suddenly blushed a deep crimson, and began talking very fast to the tanuki. The tanuki laughed and then looked at the boy. "Gaijin."

"Umm…. Excuse me, I…." Rift began.

"Oh oh...mai mai..." She smiled at Yukiko and nudged her shoulder a bit. "I told her she needed to learn English," the female tauki chirped and laughed. "I'm Akiko Tanuki, and this is Yukiko Harinezumi."

"I...I can't hear very well…." Rift frowned. "... And you talk fast."

"Mmm...that is a problem, isn't it?" she said in a lower register, then explained things to her friend. "She says she feels sorry for you and wants to help."

Rift blushed a bit. "Uhh…can't be helped really... Yukiko, huh?" He saw her brighten as he called her name.

"Ahh...well, you're not the only one at a disadvantage," Akiko encouraged with a smile. "Yukiko can't see how pretty she is. Her world is all black and white."

Rift glanced at her as though she'd talked to the air. That couldn't be true; was it? He looked back at her pretty pink eyes, glistening at him.

"It's true. Well, now that that's said, we should be going. She has to perform her dance for us in the square." The tanuki smiled and picked up the poor discarded parasol and handed it back to the hedgehog. "You can stay for the performance if you want."

"...Can she understand sign language?" Rift inquired.

"Eh? Well..." she raised a brow, "some, but I think yours is different from ours."

The boy smiled at last and waved his hands through the air. They were poetic and graceful movements and he expressed something silently that his tongue had no hope to convey. It seemed like she understood the fluid movements and her smile grew as he expressed his mind and his heart with his hands.

"Kirei," Yukiko said softly, the smile lingering. She signed back what she knew, which may have been stronger than she intended, but the sign was fairly universal: I love you.

"Haiyaku, Yukiko-chan." Akiko smiled and pulled her friend along.

"Ahh! There you are!" Blitz smiled as he ran up to his brother. Rift tugged away from him and hurried along toward the performance, and Blitz couldn't help but notice the smile on his face. "What happened?" he asked firmly, making sure his voice would reach his brother's muted world.

"She...she touched my ears," Rift replied softly. "I think I want to learn more sign language."

"Eh? But you can hear some, and it's getting better." The older hedgehog shrugged.

"Yeah but...she could hear me if I spoke like that." He smiled dreamily and motioned to the white hedgehog who took her place on a small stage with several other Mobians and a couple humans.

"OOohhh..." Blitz smiled. "I guess we can have an extended vacation." He glanced overhead as the Floating Island moved through the gate over Osaka. It would stay here for three days before slipping back to Mobius, more than enough time to meet up with Lara.

* * *

Some things go beyond their boundaries. Hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling...the senses can be fooled, they can die, they can be revived. Often, they're not appreciated until they're gone. Sometimes, though, something that reaches to fill a void can do more than what was lost.

In the quiet, reflective world of Sonic's youngest son, he found solace. A soft voice had called without reaching his ears, and a touch had soothed what would never fully heal. Someone once told Shadow that your mate should complete you, that each should offer something the other lacks. Though nobody had said that to Rift, he was living it now. Though one saw in part, and one heard in part, the two made a whole. It took time, but it was well, well worth it.


End file.
